WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2019
Published by The Islands’ Weekly
Notable women: a journey through history By Mandi Johnson Colleen Smith, Sounder editor and group publisher
Laura Kussman, reporter
Mandi Johnson, Journal editor and Weekly co-editor
Women of the
Sounder, Journal Cali Bagby, ad sales
Heather Spaulding, Journal office manager and reporter
and
Weekly
Diane Craig, Sounder office manager and reporter
Tate Thomson, graphic artist and Weekly co-editor
Jessica Stahl, copy editor
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Throughout history, there have been women who made great advancements to society, but they’re often forgotten or go unacknowledged for years. Everyone remembers the men in history. The Napoleons, George Washington, Henry VIII, Einstein and Tesla – but women, too, have done amazing things worthy of immortalization. Known for her poetry and being called the 10th muse by the Greek philosopher Plato, Sappho is an often overlooked artist from the Isle of Lesbos. Poets.org claim that Sappho is one of the greatest lyric poets to have ever written, though little of her work remains today. “The greatest problem for Sappho studies is that there’s so little Sappho to study,” wrote Daniel Mendelsohn in a 2015 article for The New Yorker. “It would be hard to think of another poet whose status is so disproportionate to the size of her surviving body of work.” Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt, is a well-known historical figure, but she was not the only female pharaoh to preside over the desert. Coming before Cleopatra were Sobeknefru and Hatshepsut. Following her reign, Cleopatra’s stepson tried to erase her from the annals of history but failed. “Knowing that her power
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Above: Rosa Parks being fingerprinted by Deputy Sheriff D.H. Lackey after being arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger on a segregated municipal bus in Montgomery, Alabama. grab was highly controversial, Hatshepsut fought to defend its legitimacy, pointing to her royal lineage and claiming that her father had appointed her his successor,” said History. com. “She sought to reinvent her image, and in statues and paintings of that time, she ordered that she be portrayed as a male pharaoh, with a beard and large muscles. In other images, however, she appeared in traditional female regalia.” Other famous queens have ruled throughout history, including Mary, Queen of Scots, her cousin Queen Elizabeth I and the current, longest-presiding British Monarch in history Queen
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Greta Thunberg (Photo credit: Anders Hellberg [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-sa/4.0)])
Elizabeth II. But though women may have been in power a spattering of times throughout history, outside of the throne, most were still treated as second-class citizens – enter the suffragettes. “I know that women,
SEE HISTORY, PAGE 3
HISTORY FROM PAGE 2 once convinced that they are doing what is right, that their rebellion is just, will go on, no matter what the difficulties, no matter what the dangers, so long as there is a woman alive to hold up the flag of rebellion. I would rather be a rebel than a slave,” said wellknown American suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. Mary Wollstonecraft penned her book “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” in 1792 – one of the earliest writings regarding equality of men and women. A century later, Susan B. Anthony fought for female equality across the sea in the United States of America. Today, many women still fight for equality – nationally, women are paid an average of 20 percent less than their male counterparts doing the same job. In countries throughout the world, women like Malala Yousafzai – who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for attending school and defending women’s and girls’ rights to education – are fighting just to earn an education. “I don’t want to be thought of as the ‘girl who was shot by the Taliban’ but the ‘girl who fought for education.’ This is the cause to which I want to devote my life,” Yousafzai wrote in her memoir. Other women of color have stood up to sexism and racism over the years and still fight for equality to this day — even equality with fellow white women. Historical women of color heroines include Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman,
who were born into slavery but escaped and became an advocate for the freedom of their fellow enslaved men, women and children. Then there was Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus so that a white man could sit down. Women have also led the way in literary and scientific endeavors over the years. Take, for example, the creator of the science fiction genre – the daughter of the aforementioned Wollstonecraft. Mary Shelley originally published her groundbreaking novel “Frankenstein” 200 years ago without her name attached for fear she would lose her children. “It was considered such a masculine novel that when published anonymously (as was common for works written by women), many people attributed it to her husband,” wrote Harriet Hall in a 2018 article for Independent. Then there were the women scientists, often unsung throughout history. Rosalind Franklin discovered the double helix of DNA – though Francis Crick and James Watson were ultimately awarded credit and a Nobel Prize for the discovery. Franklin was not included in the award for her contribution because the Nobel Committee does not grant prizes posthumously. A scientist who did win, not one, but two Nobel Prizes was Marie Curie. “She made groundbreaking work in the field of Radioactivity, enabling radioactive isotopes to be isolated for the first time. During the First World War, Curie developed the practical use of X-Rays; she also
discovered two new elements, polonium and radium,” wrote a biography of Curie on Biographyonline. net. “Her pioneering scientific work was made more remarkable because of the discrimination which existed against women in science at the time.” With both brains and beauty, actress Hedy Lamarr paved the way for modern wireless technology such as WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. According to Forbes, however, her estate has not received a dime of com-
pensation for her invaluable technological advancement. “Although her ideas were at first ignored, the technology (which she and Antheil patented in 1942) was later used by the military — during the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962, for example — and more recently, it has been employed in wireless technologies like cell phones,” wrote Melinda Wenner in a 2008 Scientific American article. “It was eventually recognized in 1997, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation hon-
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“People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth,” Thunberg said to world leaders at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. “How dare you!” This is just a handful of the many women who have done great things to make the world a better place. Throughout history and into the future, women have been and will continue to be, leaders and achievers.
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Left to Right: Max, Erin, Kimberly, Amy, Deborah, and Barbara
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ored Lamarr with a special Pioneer Award and she became the first woman to receive the Invention Convention’s BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award.” Leading the fight for climate change is a 16-yearold Swedish activist named Greta Thunberg. She’s encouraging the youth of the world to stand up to the adults and urge them to make changes to save the world from the harmful effects of global climate change.
Check out our fun stewardship and Island Voices videos and info here: www.VisitSanJuans.com/videos.
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(360) 468-4391 • Lopez Island The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • October 15, 2019 – Women In Business Page 3
The islands welcome midwives Island Hearing
serves Lopez, too
By Heather Spaulding Reporter
The small red building on Nichols Street that has housed a vast array of businesses is now home to a midwifery: the Greenbank Birth Center. “We have been seeing San Juan County women for a long time,” said Diane Miller, a licensed and certified professional midwife. The center originally opened in 1991 on Whidbey Island, had an office briefly on Orcas and has maintained a space in Anacortes for the past 25 years. Now, the midwives come to Friday Harbor every other Wednesday. The response has been overwhelming since its opening at the beginning of September, according to Miller. Women have come from all the islands to visit the new location. Should that trend continue, Miller and licensed midwife Cynthia Jaffe may consider expanding the hours to once a week. “Island women are strong, resilient and highly independent. They often opt for a natural birth, therefore midwifery is a good fit,” Miller said. Having not only lived
By Jessica Stahl Reporter
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Greenbank Birth Center offers waterbirth services. on Shaw Island but also given birth to four of her children during that time, Miller knows first hand the unique situation of island mothers. She noted that the Whidbey location often resonates with San Juan County mothers due to its rural nature. Greenbank’s headquarters is located on a secluded 5-acre property. Jaffe does recommend going to Whidbey as the birth date approaches and staying as long as necessary. The midwives realize that isn’t always an option, however, due to finances and the general unexpected nature of pregnancies.
“Things don’t always go according to plan,” Jaffe said, “but ideally, that is what we would like to have happen.” Some of the benefits of a midwife are that they provide more control over the birthing situation and allow mothers to make more of their own choices. “Some things are not totally up to them,” Miller said, adding that what Greenbank does is provide information and education so parents can understand the array of options and make informed decisions. Hospitals, she noted, often treat every pregnancy as a high risk. She said they don’t usually give families the flexibility they require, and hospital doctors often aren’t as personal as the small private midwifery. “We are there with the mothers throughout the whole pregnancy,” Miller said. “We really get to know the women and their families personally.” One popular option at Greenbank is a waterbirth,
wherein the baby is born while the mother is resting in warm water. “Warm water is relaxing and often acts as a pain reliever,” Jaffe explained. “We often jokingly call it the midwife epidural.” Once a mother has tried a water birth, she usually opts for it during her next pregnancy, she said. Regardless of the decisions made by the expecting mom, Miller said she carries a soft spot in her heart for islanders and hopes they choose to come to Greenbank. “I really understand the moms living out there and their unique needs,” Miller said. “I love taking care of them. They are so special to me.” Greenbank offers a nocost meet-and-greet for mothers and families wishing to explore their alternatives. For more information about Greenbank Birthing Center, visit https://greenbankbirthcenter.com.
Feelings of great joy, relief, anticipation and even trepidation may accompany the return of something once lost to us. For Doctor of Audiology Stacie Nordrum, the special part of her work-day is inspiring a shift in her patients’ perspective on their hearing loss, and building positive feelings for their futures. “When I feel that I have been sucContributed photo cessful in inspiring excitement about Stacie Nordrum. treating hearing loss, that’s special,” said Nordrum. “I have definitely seen people begin to return to previously enjoyed activities (such as church, meetings, social events) that were avoided because of hearing difficulty. I love the shift from focusing on a hearing loss over to the viewpoint of ‘I want to be more connected and engaged in my life.’” Nordrum is the owner of the independent hearing clinic Island Hearing Healthcare in Friday Harbor. She established her clinic in 2006, after earning a Bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Western Washington University in 2002, and a Doctor of Audiology degree from Northwestern University in 2006. Nordrum’s mother, who has hearing loss, was the first to suggest audiology as a field for Nordrum to explore. “In graduate school, I became very interested in emerging hearing aid technology,” said Nordrum. “The Doctor of Audiology program at Northwestern University encouraged a focus on research concurrently with clinical practice and theoretical fundamentals. I was able to work with the engineering departments at several major hearing aid manufacturers to learn how technology is developed and released to the public.” Owning her clinic allows Nordrum to continue pursuing her interests in hearing aid technology. She has the freedom to choose from any of the latest technologies and developed her own acclimatization program that she can customize for individual patients. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence with the American Speech Language Hearing Association. Island Hearing’s main office is in Friday Harbor. Weekly visits are made to Orcas Island and monthly visits to Lopez Island. Home visits are available upon request on all three islands. “What sparks my interest now is anticipating each new major release of technology,” said Nordrum. “I am passionate about helping people stay connected, and to help those living with hearing loss overcome obstacles to communication and connection.”
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HEALING ENERGY ARTS OF LOPEZ Caring for you is what we do best Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine: Julienne Battalia Faridah Mow Massage Therapy: Alina Donnelly Amy Schmidt Roseamber Summer Shannon Sternberg Matia Jones Aimee Nassoiy
Craniosacral Therapy & Nutritional Counseling: Julienne Battalia Neurological Integration & Reiki: Suise Teague Foot Reflexology & Reiki: Wendy Westervelt
Go to: www.healingenergyartslopez.com for more info or call 360-468-3239 to schedule an appointment The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • October 15, 2019 – Women In Business Page 4